Chapter 169: Private discussion with Rin[1]
The yacht cut smoothly across the open sea, its sleek frame gliding over the surface as if the water itself parted to make way for it. The island had already faded into the distance.
Now there was only the ocean. Endless, deep, and stretching in every direction without interruption.
Ruby stood at the front of the yacht, her hands gripping the rail as the wind rushed past her, pulling at her hair and clothes. Her laughter carried over the sound of the waves, bright and unrestrained as she leaned slightly forward, embracing the speed, the openness, the sheer freedom of it.
Hazel sat a few steps behind, one leg crossed over the other as she held a glass loosely in her hand. She watched Ruby with a faint smile.
Racheal stood near the side, her fingers trailing lightly along the rail as she looked out toward the horizon. Her gaze was distant, not unfocused, but calm, as if she were taking in more than just the view. The ocean reflected in her eyes.
Clara remained seated beneath the shaded section of the yacht, a drink resting in her hand as she observed the others. She lifted the glass slightly, taking a small sip as her gaze shifted from Ruby to Hazel, then to Racheal.
Meanwhile, Damian sat alone in a dark, enclosed room within the yacht. There were no windows, no sound of the ocean, no wind, just silence.
The air felt heavier here, thicker, as if the space itself resisted movement. The faint glow of something unseen cast just enough light to reveal the outline of the room, but nothing more.
Across from him, a small figure stood still.
It was Rin.
The fox’s presence was quiet, its form outlined faintly against the darkness, its eyes reflecting a dim light that did not belong to the room.
"For once, you look determined." Rin said, yet there was no humor in its voice, only a flat observation that made the words feel heavier than they should have been.
Damian exhaled slowly, his gaze steady as he looked at the small fox before him. He could already tell where the system had inherited its dry, almost insulting tone, but he chose not to dwell on it.
"This vacation made me realize something I have been ignoring for a long time. While all that chaotic life is fun and all, I want a peaceful life. A quiet and peaceful one like this." Damian spoke calmly, ignoring the remark and going straight to the point, his voice carrying a clarity that had been missing before.
Rin did not respond immediately. It simply stared at him, its purple eyes fixed and unblinking as if weighing his words against something far deeper than what had been said. After a moment, it slowly shook its head.
"There is no happy ever after in this world unless you are at the top of the food chain." Rin began, its voice low but firm.
"Mortals face betrayal, and those who escape betrayal are torn away from their loved ones by death."
It took a slow step forward, its gaze never leaving Damian.
"For higher beings such as yourself, the heavens and demons, you are forced into a never ending war against each other. Even if you become the demon lord, nothing changes. That is unless you can do what no one has ever done. Defeat the supreme deity and steal its power. Eradicate the heavens and the demon factions and unite everything under one banner."
The words hung in the air, heavy.
Coming from something so small, so unimposing, they should have sounded absurd. They should have been easy to dismiss as the ramblings of something that did not understand scale or consequence. But Damian did not laugh.
He did not interrupt.
He simply leaned back slightly in his seat, his fingers brushing against his forehead as he absorbed every word, his mind moving quickly behind calm eyes.
"Do you have a plan or are you just here for motivational purposes?" he asked at last, his tone even.
Rin nodded without hesitation.
"The key to the success you seek lies in the devour talent of the sin of gluttony. If you can acquire that, you can steal the inheritance of the Ten Commandments. That combined with the power of the Seven Sins will grant you the strength required to subdue the heavens."
Damian’s brows drew together, his expression tightening slightly. To get the devour talent he would have to kill the sin of gluttony.
"So everything still relies on me reaching God level."
"Of course." Rin replied without pause. "You are nothing but a piece on the board until you reach that level. Only then do you become a player. Your dream of total freedom depends on how quickly you discard your earthly distractions and focus entirely on growth."
There was no softness in its tone. No attempt to comfort. Just truth, stripped down and delivered without care for how it landed.
Damian did not flinch.
If anything, the bluntness steadied him. It was far better than moving blindly, guided by half answers and assumptions.
"Your decision to step into the political scene and align with the cartel are among the best choices you have made so far." Rin continued, its gaze sharpening slightly. "If you spread depravity and immorality across the land, your growth will accelerate significantly."
Damian nodded slowly.
Those were deliberate moves. He understood their value. But even then, something in him resisted accepting that they were the most important pieces on the board.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"What about the church?"
Rin’s response came instantly.
"The risk outweighs the benefit."
Damian blinked.
For the first time since this conversation began, he looked genuinely taken aback. Every reaction he had received regarding that idea had been positive. Encouraging, even. This was the first time someone had dismissed it so completely.
"It does?" he asked, not defensive, but genuinely surprised.
Rin rose onto its paws, its small frame straightening as its presence shifted. Its purple eyes flared faintly, glowing with a quiet intensity that filled the room far more than its size should have allowed.
"I am sure you understand why deities need mortals."
Damian nodded immediately. "They rely on our faith. It sustains them. Strengthens them."
"And what do you think happens when a deity realizes that one of its sources of power has been diverted to something unknown?"
Buzz.
The reaction was instant.
Damian’s lips parted, but no words came out. His mind raced ahead of him, connecting the implications faster than he could voice them.
This was not a small risk. This was not even a calculated gamble. This was provocation at the highest level.
Stealing followers from a god was not touching something dangerous. It was challenging it directly.
Rin continued, its voice calm but cutting.
"Taking a few believers may go unnoticed. But once your influence spreads, once your name carries weight across nations, once the flow of faith begins to shift in your direction, it will be noticed."
It took another slow step forward.
"And when that happens, it will not take long for the source to be traced."
The air felt heavier and suffocating.
"At that point, how do you plan to survive the wrath of a god?"
The question lingered.
And for the first time since stepping into this space, Damian did not have an immediate answer.
"I thought gods cannot hurt mortals?" Damian countered, his voice steady, though there was a trace of defiance beneath it.
A low, dry chuckle echoed through the space, unnatural and hollow. Rin did not move its mouth, yet the sound carried clearly, its purple eyes fixed on him with a chilling stillness that made the laughter feel colder than mockery.
"When have the rules of the universe ever stopped gods?" Rin replied, its tone laced with quiet disdain. "The same way billionaires find ways around taxes, gods exploit loopholes. They bend what cannot be broken and twist what should not be touched."
It took a slow step forward, its gaze sharpening.
"The prince of greed will find you and kill you. I can assure you of that."
Damian’s expression hardened at the name. He had heard of that distant prince before, a figure whispered about as if he owned entire worlds like assets on a ledger. After surviving two assassination attempts tied back to that same entity, the resentment within him had long taken root, even without ever meeting the man face to face.
"My wives. Can I not rely on their protection?"
A sharp scoff followed immediately.
Rin rolled its eyes, the look it gave him filled with open mockery, so blatant it stung more than any insult. It did not even attempt to hide its disdain, and for a moment, Damian felt an unfamiliar irritation rise, not for himself, but on behalf of the women it was dismissing so easily.
"What? Do you have something to say?" he pressed, his tone turning slightly aggressive, though still controlled.
Rin did not flinch.
"With all due respect," it said flatly, "if you truly believe three women can stop a prince of hell, then you are a fool."
The words landed without decoration.
No exaggeration.
Just truth delivered with brutal clarity.